Is Bollywood worship killing URDU and Arabic amongst our youngsters?

[MIG]

There was a time when Indian movies had great dialogue in pure ( salees) URDU - where the Qaafs were not pronounced as Kaaf , where Khushi was not Kushi and so on...

Fast forward today and Bollywood blockbusters are employing street Bombay type slangy Hindi and our youngsters, many of whom live in UK etc are starting to use that without thinking twice!

How many of us think that the Q in Saqlain is a Qaaf and not a Kaaf ( Saqlain Vs Saklain , when we say it ) ? I have heard British Asian kids pronounce Khan as Kan as they cant say the Khe' sound.

What effect does that have on our reading of the Quraan ( again that is a Qaaf and not Koran !)

Think about it guys and where possible correct yourself and your friends - protecting our great languages is important - that is where a lot of our identity comes from !

 

[Daoud]

Well I for one cant blame Bollywood for killing my Urdu

 

[sneekysneeky]

good post miggy! esp the last line...

kaaf and qaaf are mistaken quite often by kids and adults... i correct my American born cousins whenever i notice these things... but like Rrray(not ray) in Urdu is one letter they have a hard time with... whatever they do it comes out as ray

 

[Ace Base]

There was a time when Indian movies had great dialogue in pure ( salees) URDU - where the Qaafs were not pronounced as Kaaf , where Khushi was not Kushi and so on...

Fast forward today and Bollywood blockbusters are employing street Bombay type slangy Hindi and our youngsters, many of whom live in UK etc are starting to use that without thinking twice!

How many of us think that the Q in Saqlain is a Qaaf and not a Kaaf ( Saqlain Vs Saklain , when we say it ) ? I have heard British Asian kids pronounce Khan as Kan as they cant say the Khe' sound.

What effect does that have on our reading of the Quraan ( again that is a Qaaf and not Koran !)

Think about it guys and where possible correct yourself and your friends - protecting our great languages is important - that is where a lot of our identity comes from !

Masha Allah! Excellent post and may Allah reward you for reminding us about safe-guarding our Deen.

 

[MIG]

I think some letters in URDU are tough - I accept but where they are common with Arabic like Qaaf and Kaaf, it makes a difference - imagine reading Surah Fateha and saying Sirat-al-Mustakeem as opposed to MustaQeem!

I also understand that among Punjabi speakers, this is very common ( the Qaaf Vs Kaaf ) but where possible - make that effort - believe me even your Punjabi will sound beautiful!

 

[the Great Khan]

I agree with everything said here miggy sahib but i believe its already too late....in england Asian culture is inherently hijacked by anything Indian since its easy to identify with a more familiar theme, and our youth are unfortunatley too unread and lacking in adequate cultural /religious/historical knowledge to counter basic propaganda. For example at a pakistan idependance day celebration a discussion with some youth was surprising as many thought we were celebrating our independance from Hindu india and no one really knew who Quaid or Iqbal were...so Urdu really doesnt have a chance unfortunatley..

 

[MIG]

Sad tgk but something we on this forum, should pay attention to - let your friends, younger siblings etc know that it matters !

 

[Oxy]

Not into Bollywood - so neither are my kids - just Pak dramas for them!

But I have nephews in Pak who are fluent in Hindi - replacing Hindi instaed of Urdu, which is worrying.

I couldnt care whether they prefer Holly, Bolly, Lolly or Gollywood - but you have to question the parents for their role in this.

Ultimately, its the PARENTS fault for the erosion of Urdu, not Bollywood.

 

[Ace Base]

Not into Bollywood - so neither are my kids - just Pak dramas for them!

But I have nephews in Pak who are fluent in Hindi - replacing Hindi instaed of Urdu, which is worrying.

I couldnt care whether they prefer Holly, Bolly, Lolly or Gollywood - but you have to question the parents for their role in this.

Ultimately, its the PARENTS fault for the erosion of Urdu, not Bollywood.

My Urdu is almost non existent (although I learnt to say "tu bandar heera hay") but I do know that Urdu shares the a lot of vocabulary and grammar with Arabic.

My father, who studied in Pakistan for some time, speaks Urdu and told me that he cannot imagine a more beautiful language!

It really makes me want to learn the language and I reckon, being an Arabic speaker, I would learn quite fast.

Unfortunately, most young Pakistani people don't speak the correct form of Urdu (we call it "fusha" in Arabic) nor do they know any of the great literary figures like Shiekh Muhammed Iqbal.

 

[Oxy]

Ace - I dont speak any Urdu. I remember meeting up with MiG last year, and after about an hour, I had to say 'MiG yaar, I dont speak a word of Urdu' - the shame of it

 

[Daoud]

Ace - I dont speak any Urdu. I remember meeting up with MiG last year, and after about an hour, I had to say 'MiG yaar, I dont speak a word of Urdu' - the shame of it

Hah, so thats why you never watch Indian movies. Here I was thinking it was cause of some sort of objection

 

[Ace Base]

Ace - I dont speak any Urdu. I remember meeting up with MiG last year, and after about an hour, I had to say 'MiG yaar, I dont speak a word of Urdu' - the shame of it

Allahul Musta'aan!

And they made you moderator for PAKpassion??!!!

Lol! Just joking akhi, just tryong to rub it in!

But really, its amazing! Didn't your parents speak to you in Urdu when you were younger?

Having said that, my sisters' Arabic isn't too great either!

 

[Oxy]

Hah, so thats why you never watch Indian movies. Here I was thinking it was cause of some sort of objection

I understand it - just dont speak it. Bollywood is definately a principal thing though - never!

 

[vortex619]

what about lollywood?
apparently lollywood make bollywood look like masterpieces...

 

[mani1]

I my self dont speak urdu i could make out almost what some one is saying but thats about it i learned most of it from mosques ie most imams speak in urdu

though my mother speaks both urdu and panjabi fluently me myself cant

 

[Billy]

I can't even tell Hindi and Urdu apart.

I suppose I might give Hindi a go.. what with having a few Hindi channels on Sky.

 

[Gasherbrum]

there's also this problem where 'kh' is pronounced as 'h'. eg - instead of 'khuda hafiz', you'll hear 'huda hafiz'. what's the matter? cat got your tonsils? use them!

 

[Uzzy]

I can understand Urdu but i can't speak it. I wish i could, but then again i was brought up to learn Pushto and not Urdu.

 

[pakistani_banda]

for me ive been speaking urdu since i started talking. eventhough living in malaysia for 8 years , out of which 1 year and 8 months i was in pakistan (this stay really fixed my urdu, but i had forgotten how to read and write urdu so i had to do easy urdu in my school) but i can differentiate from hindi, like for eg,

father
in urdu: aboo, abaa
in hindi: pita

mother
in urdu: ami, maa
in hindi: maa

heart
in urdu: dil
in hindi: maan


i can think of other hindi words right now, but these days i have noticed that in bolly movies more urdu is used than hind.
and if u want to hear some real hindi, watch asoka

 

[robosapien]

I think some letters in URDU are tough - I accept but where they are common with Arabic like Qaaf and Kaaf, it makes a difference - imagine reading Surah Fateha and saying Sirat-al-Mustakeem as opposed to MustaQeem!

I also understand that among Punjabi speakers, this is very common ( the Qaaf Vs Kaaf ) but where possible - make that effort - believe me even your Punjabi will sound beautiful!

thanks for the advice but i think punjabi will do fine without sheen-qaaf!!

i think, even i n pak, urdu is heavily influenced by english now. there was a time when tv hosts used to speak nastaaleeq urdu ut now everyone seems to speak it with an english accent.

 

[pakistani_banda]

thanks for the advice but i think punjabi will do fine without sheen-qaaf!!

i think, even i n pak, urdu is heavily influenced by english now. there was a time when tv hosts used to speak nastaaleeq urdu ut now everyone seems to speak it with an english accent.

quite true especially in those fashion programs, i think the hosts r bread in us or uk and not in pakistan

 

[catwoman]

I don't think Bollywood has anything to do with harming Urdu...it's natural for those who live outside of Pakistan speak with an accent (just like people in Pakistan speak English with an accent ). My pronunciations in Urdu are awful and I think one of the reasons for that is I can't read/write Urdu...if I knew how the word was written and spelt I would be able to pronounce it properly.

 

[catwoman]

there's also this problem where 'kh' is pronounced as 'h'. eg - instead of 'khuda hafiz', you'll hear 'huda hafiz'. what's the matter? cat got your tonsils? use them!

I say "hudafiz"...

 

[Bitman]

Bollywood can't be to blame IMO. I don't see how that can effect your accent.

 

[Toony™®]

I think Bollywood films is a mixture of urdu/hindi anyway.. due to the dialogues which are mostly written in Hindi, with use of Urdu in situations which require poetic dialogues.

 

[the Great Khan]

i believe Urdu is an inherently more poetic language that flows beautifully off ones toungue while Hindi is inherently urdu with sanskrit words in it..hence the flow is just not right to the ears of a natural urdu speaker...I can speak fluent Urdu and it helps when your wife is pakistani too and i can read it too...reading the jang everyday helps with the practice.. i also agree that its the parents fault nowadays too as they care more about wealth and status than Culture/History/Deen etc..hence why our youth are inherently ignorant of the world around them. So in my house inshallah when the first juniors arrive there will be a ban on bollywood ghand(luckily my parents did the same Thank Allah swt) and Urdu will be spoken...and they better learn it or a good phainty will be administered..lol..lol.

 

[robosapien]

I think Bollywood films is a mixture of urdu/hindi anyway.. due to the dialogues which are mostly written in Hindi, with use of Urdu in situations which require poetic dialogues.

i think kids will speak wt parents speak at home. one good way is to ban bollywood crap at home (kids will hardly learn anything useful from that!).

secondly miggy bhai, salees doesnt mean pure urdu!! it means a simplified or easier version of the language.

 

[Officer Barbrady]

They are BBCDs (and Abcds or Cbcds) anyway. What can you expect?

 

[MIG]

I dont have a problem with accents - its not speaking the letters right that bothers me!

For example, however you say Razzaq ( which happens to one of ALLAHs names), its got a Qaaf at the end of it - not a Kaaf - doesnt matter if a Punjabi or Sindhi says it - Razzaq has a Qaaf - in my days in Pakistan, teachers in schools , especially URDU teachers would come down pretty hard on this but for children growing outside that environment, its upto the adults to guide them.

As for influence of Bollywood - well it does matter if that is the only source of URDU that the kids have to depend on ! Amazingly enough, people like Lata Mangeshkar and Jagjeet Singh will never make those mistakes which makes us Pakistanis look very silly , esp those English wannabe types on TV who really havent spent that much time outside Pak to say that they have forgotten the basics of our national language.

And on Robo's point on Punjabi, some of the best Punjabi minds of URDU literature like Allama Iqbal wouldnt dream of mixing up their Qaafs from Kaafs!

 

[MIG]

i think kids will speak wt parents speak at home. one good way is to ban bollywood crap at home (kids will hardly learn anything useful from that!).

secondly miggy bhai, salees doesnt mean pure urdu!! it means a simplified or easier version of the language.

Apologies Robo for that mistake - you are totally correct there.

Also with Bollywood movies, there was a trend upto Mid 70s where the dialogue of Indian movies was in really good URDU but seems to me that a concerted effort was made to push URDU to the background and replace it with Hinglish to try and make it cool !

 

[MIG]

And here is the biggest bit of hypocrisy that I would like to share with you all - none of my kids speak URDU ( they understand) but cannot string together 2 sentences !!! But in any case, its better than the Pseudo URDU from Hindi movies !

 

[robosapien]

yes, ppl like iqbal wrote the best of urdu but never mixed urdu with punjabi. although he used to wear dhoti at home and puffed huqqa all his life like a paindoo. punjabi has it's own charm and it sounds better with its own typical accent. however, i think in pakistan, qaari sb (or moulvi sb) has this job of fixing ppl's sheen-qaaf. I'm sure that whoever in punjab(or any other place) has learnt recitation of quran (tajweed) from an expert will not make mistake.

 

[MIG]

In no way do I suggest that we should change Punjabi as spoken by the masses - but city dwellers ( say from Punjab or Sindh or NWFP etc) who speak URDU not Punjabi or their regional language should speak the language the way it should be spoken

 

[sneekysneeky]

And here is the biggest bit of hypocrisy that I would like to share with you all - none of my kids speak URDU ( they understand) but cannot string together 2 sentences !!! But in any case, its better than the Pseudo URDU from Hindi movies !

why dont you teach them? btw how old are they? cuz you have to teach them from an early age...

 

[sneekysneeky]

Ace - I dont speak any Urdu. I remember meeting up with MiG last year, and after about an hour, I had to say 'MiG yaar, I dont speak a word of Urdu' - the shame of it

how did that happen? do you understand Urdu?

 

[Oxy]

how did that happen? do you understand Urdu?

My dad was from the village - and spoke Punjabi, so thats what we grew up on.

 

[sneekysneeky]

My dad was from the village - and spoke Punjabi, so thats what we grew up on.

but you do speak Punjabi so thats good...

 

[nafajafam]

My Urdu is almost non existent (although I learnt to say "tu bandar heera hay") but I do know that Urdu shares the a lot of vocabulary and grammar with Arabic.

My father, who studied in Pakistan for some time, speaks Urdu and told me that he cannot imagine a more beautiful language!

It really makes me want to learn the language and I reckon, being an Arabic speaker, I would learn quite fast.

Unfortunately, most young Pakistani people don't speak the correct form of Urdu (we call it "fusha" in Arabic) nor do they know any of the great literary figures like Shiekh Muhammed Iqbal.

Salaam Ace Base.

Just wanted to correct you on this. bandar means monkey. I think you wanted to write banda, which means person.

 

[zushy_786]

And here is the biggest bit of hypocrisy that I would like to share with you all - none of my kids speak URDU ( they understand) but cannot string together 2 sentences !!! But in any case, its better than the Pseudo URDU from Hindi movies !

Really that's interesting miggy......My parents had always advocated speaking urdu in the house and banning english and we were all sent to urdu classes when we were young......Unfortuently I've moved around a lot so I can't write urdu anymore, but can speak urdu and read urdu.....So it does partly come down to how your parents bring you up, but also the person has to have the drive to retain their own mother tongue......

 

[zushy_786]

My Urdu is almost non existent (although I learnt to say "tu bandar heera hay") but I do know that Urdu shares the a lot of vocabulary and grammar with Arabic.

My father, who studied in Pakistan for some time, speaks Urdu and told me that he cannot imagine a more beautiful language!

It really makes me want to learn the language and I reckon, being an Arabic speaker, I would learn quite fast.

Unfortunately, most young Pakistani people don't speak the correct form of Urdu (we call it "fusha" in Arabic) nor do they know any of the great literary figures like Shiekh Muhammed Iqbal.

) ) ) What was the reaction to whomever you had said this phrase to you ??

 

[z10]

i learnt urdu because she spoke it

 

[nafajafam]

It depends where you are and how much you use urdu, arabic. Bollywood cannot be blamed for this. Their dialogues are in Hindi, not Urdu. Both languages do sound similar but there are some differences in syntax. As the majority opinion is, parents should teach their kids urdu. Especially in Europe and North America, parents must speak with their kids in Urdu. My parents always spoke with us in Urdu hence our Punjabi isn't great. Always have trouble communicating with my grandmother and some aunties back in Pakistan. I would love to learn Arabic though. What I find most amazing is that the English translation of the Quran is also beautiful, I cannot even imagine what it would feel like understanding it in Arabic.

 

[vortex619]

my mother strongly discourages me speaking english in the house and has insisted on communicating in urdu whilst with the family. because of this, despite starting learning urdu late, i can speak it fluently, read it and write it.
the only downside of knowing how to write it is that my mother demands that i have to write pages in urdu

 

[Uzzy]

Man i wish i knew how to speak it. I only know English and Pushto.

 

[Nakhuda]

Bollywood today with the same storylines,music and dancing is for braindead people who have nothing else to do.Even the new actresses dress and look so similar that they may as well share the same brain.
Kids are impressionable and idiolise anything that seems "cool and happening" on T.V but as they mature they'll outgrow this Bollywood nonsense and start thinking for themselves.They probably don't know how to speak Urdu in the first place and imitate anything they see be it Bollywood or Afro-American rap Music.

 

[sunny92]

It definitely is effecting urdu...dont know about abroad. But a lot of young people in karachi use Mumbai slang..infact it has now become a part of everyday language...espacially after that Bollywood movie Munna Bai..now is considered 'cool' to use that slang.

 

[jusarrived]

am all for baning Bollywood ...not only in pakistan..also in India..wat a waste of time!

 

[Raz]

If anything my Urdu has improved watching Bollywood films, but mainly Pakistani dramas and as a result I'm fluent in the language (speaking and listening that is).

 

[Toony™®]

i speak urdu at home anyway...parents speak it although they speak punjabi when conversation gets heated..

i also have read anyway that the preferred language for bollywood is Urdu as its more eloquent and has been used by the industry standard for decades.

 

[Geordie Ahmed]

My Urdu is almost non existent (although I learnt to say "tu bandar heera hay") but I do know that Urdu shares the a lot of vocabulary and grammar with Arabic.

My father, who studied in Pakistan for some time, speaks Urdu and told me that he cannot imagine a more beautiful language!

It really makes me want to learn the language and I reckon, being an Arabic speaker, I would learn quite fast.

Unfortunately, most young Pakistani people don't speak the correct form of Urdu (we call it "fusha" in Arabic) nor do they know any of the great literary figures like Shiekh Muhammed Iqbal.

that was thanks to comma iirc ) ) )

 

[cinderella]

I for one am strongly against hindi movies, pointless crap. Good when you are watching it, but a very much waste of time if you think about it. They guide the muslims of today in an extremely wrong way.

As for the language, it's very much upto the parents. I speak urdu and punjabi fluently, I can't speak anything but punjabi to mom because that's just the way it's always been.

I do try to speak urdu with my sibs, they always respond in english. A strange custom that goes on at our house is pak urdu books are still in use. As my sibs go up in their classes in school, their urdu education at home continues. And they can read and write it as well, which imo is just as necessary as speaking it.

 

[MIG]

Salaam Ace Base.

Just wanted to correct you on this. bandar means monkey. I think you wanted to write banda, which means person.

Bandar is a very common name in Arabic ( eg Bandar Bin Faisal !) Bandar also means port in Farsi, and of course monkey in URDU !

 

[nafajafam]

Bandar is a very common name in Arabic ( eg Bandar Bin Faisal !) Bandar also means port in Farsi, and of course monkey in URDU !

Yes Miggy, I am aware of that. Lived in Dubai for 20 years. I was referring to the Urdu version of it, in context with Ace Base's sentence.

 

[MIG]

Apologies, nafa - didnt mean it that way - just wanted to add my 2 cents!

 

[nafajafam]

Apologies, nafa - didnt mean it that way - just wanted to add my 2 cents!

No such thing Miggy.. "banda heera ho"

 

[Ace Base]

Salaam Ace Base.

Just wanted to correct you on this. bandar means monkey. I think you wanted to write banda, which means person.

Waálikum Assalaam akhi

Actually I do mean bandar.

I actually picked up the phrase from this website, then applied it rather whole-heartedly to a Pakistani colleague at work. He went very silent the first time I said it (he's a very well-respected, 53 year old lawyer) and noticing his sudden change of demeanour I repeated it thinking he hadn't heard me.

The blood drained from his face and he gave me a cold stare.

Later that evening, puzzled as ever, I logged into Pakpassion and sought answers for what I perceived as strange behaviour from my colleague.

Of course, I felt utterly humiliated when my faux pas was explained to me.

 

[nafajafam]

Waálikum Assalaam akhi

Actually I do mean bandar.

I actually picked up the phrase from this website, then applied it rather whole-heartedly to a Pakistani colleague at work. He went very silent the first time I said it (he's a very well-respected, 53 year old lawyer) and noticing his sudden change of demeanour I repeated it thinking he hadn't heard me.

The blood drained from his face and he gave me a cold stare.

Later that evening, puzzled as ever, I logged into Pakpassion and sought answers for what I perceived as strange behaviour from my colleague.

Of course, I felt utterly humiliated when my faux pas was explained to me.

Haha Ace Base, my apologies for correcting you then. I do hope you and your colleague share a comfortable working atmosphere now.

 

[Ace Base]

Haha Ace Base, my apologies for correcting you then. I do hope you and your colleague share a comfortable working atmosphere now.

Well, lets just say, things have never been the same again!

 

[nafajafam]

Well, lets just say, things have never been the same again!

Wow, I suppose we do need to fix our Urdu.

 

[Tariq Jamshed]

Blaming Bollywood or any other such thing is rather superficial. When your culture has a vaccum, when performing arts are looked down upon, and so on, something will always come in to fill that void

 

[Team Slayer]

i can perfectly understand your point, mig. i have seen many pakistanis (particularly those who attend party univs) speak a *******ized, bollywood-ized version of urdu, and it sickens me. in fact, i make it a point that whenever a Pakistani friend of mine asks me something bollywoodish like "xyz bolay to?", i give them a weird look and then reply in khalis urdu to tell them (in a not-so-subtle way) that i ain't impressed by the mumbai bhaiya language one bit. to be honest, i struggle to understand why anyone would ever want to speak like a low class, uneducated fool (esp. when the alternative is so much better).

however, i should also add that those who are not born in pakistan (or been away from pak for 10-15 years), i don't really care if they speak urdu or not...as long as they are good Muslims, that is good enough for me. i also have many friends who are pakistani by blood, but they speak an Arabicised version of Urdu, i.e. calling bidat bida'h, ramzan ramadan, ahmad ah'mad (with an emphasis on the 'h'), etc. I have no problem with this simply because even though they aren't speaking Urdu and don't claim themselves to be Pakistanis, at least they are practising Muslims (very much the polar opposites of those who speak the bollywood-ized urdu).

in fact, if my children (someday, inshAllah!!) do this, i wont even stop them...but of course if they go the bollywood way, then its a different story.

 

[nafajafam]

i can perfectly understand your point, mig. i have seen many pakistanis (particularly those who attend party univs) speak a *******ized, bollywood-ized version of urdu, and it sickens me. in fact, i make it a point that whenever a Pakistani friend of mine asks me something bollywoodish like "xyz bolay to?", i give them a weird look and then reply in khalis urdu to tell them (in a not-so-subtle way) that i ain't impressed by the mumbai bhaiya language one bit. to be honest, i struggle to understand why anyone would ever want to speak like a low class, uneducated fool (esp. when the alternative is so much better).

however, i should also add that those who are not born in pakistan (or been away from pak for 10-15 years), i don't really care if they speak urdu or not...as long as they are good Muslims, that is good enough for me. i also have many friends who are pakistani by blood, but they speak an Arabicised version of Urdu, i.e. calling bidat bida'h, ramzan ramadan, ahmad ah'mad (with an emphasis on the 'h'), etc. I have no problem with this simply because even though they aren't speaking Urdu and don't claim themselves to be Pakistanis, at least they are practising Muslims (very much the polar opposites of those who speak the bollywood-ized urdu).

in fact, if my children (someday, inshAllah!!) do this, i wont even stop them...but of course if they go the bollywood way, then its a different story.

generalising teamy.. I speak khalis, *******ized as well the arabic version and Alhumdulillah am a practising Muslim.

 

[Team Slayer]

mafi sarkar, i should have said that there are exceptions, but i thought people would've figured that out themselves

 

[nafajafam]

mafi sarkar, i should have said that there are exceptions, but i thought people would've figured that out themselves

as long as you acknowledge the exceptions. so next time someone speaks in a slang version, don't judge them.

 

[Schiller]

Waálikum Assalaam akhi

Actually I do mean bandar.

I actually picked up the phrase from this website, then applied it rather whole-heartedly to a Pakistani colleague at work. He went very silent the first time I said it (he's a very well-respected, 53 year old lawyer) and noticing his sudden change of demeanour I repeated it thinking he hadn't heard me.

The blood drained from his face and he gave me a cold stare.

Later that evening, puzzled as ever, I logged into Pakpassion and sought answers for what I perceived as strange behaviour from my colleague.

Of course, I felt utterly humiliated when my faux pas was explained to me.

i dont remember well in my old age now but wasn't it me who suggested banda heera hai to you?
ha

ah always good to see another humiliated.

just saw ga's post and things point towards me being the guilty party
)
was a hoot

 

[nafajafam]

i dont remember well in my old age now but wasn't it me who suggested banda heera hai to you?
ha

ah always good to see another humiliated.

just saw ga's post and things point towards me being the guilty party
)
was a hoot

you had good intentions but things aren't well between ace and the victim.

 

[Schiller]

you had good intentions but things aren't well between ace and the victim.

didnt shaw say, hell is paved with good intentions?

 

[Schiller]

everything foreign seems to be doing it nafa.
paks have a tendency to not understand what their strengths are

 

[nafajafam]

i think majority are always looking for an excuse.

 

[Schiller]

the q is why are they looking?

 

[nafajafam]

failure to correct their wrongs.

bollywood has made inroads into pakistan because of our failure to provide a suitable substitute.

 

[Schiller]

i suspect it goes deeper than that

 

[nafajafam]

always is. i suppose we are waiting for someone else to bring a change.

 

[Schiller]

actually, i suspect its an identity crisis en masse

 

[Noori]

I don't think Bollywood has anything to do with harming Urdu...it's natural for those who live outside of Pakistan speak with an accent (just like people in Pakistan speak English with an accent ). My pronunciations in Urdu are awful and I think one of the reasons for that is I can't read/write Urdu...if I knew how the word was written and spelt I would be able to pronounce it properly.

Not at all. I speak FLUENT Urdu like my Parents with their accent just like someone from back home, to the uninitiated they feel I'm from Pakistan till I speak in English then they're very surprised. Most of my cousins speak like me too because we were told pushed to speak Urdu since we were babies. So the outcome is natural

 

[JaDed]

Blaming Bollywood or any other such thing is rather superficial. When your culture has a vaccum, when performing arts are looked down upon, and so on, something will always come in to fill that void

Good point,guess finally Pakistani dramas filled those voids! Guess most people won't care if the generations are exposed to violent video games and English dramas with sexual content.

 

[Rayyman]

Not at all. I speak FLUENT Urdu like my Parents with their accent just like someone from back home, to the uninitiated they feel I'm from Pakistan till I speak in English then they're very surprised. Most of my cousins speak like me too because we were told pushed to speak Urdu since we were babies. So the outcome is natural

Lol. You just quoted a post from 11 years ago.

 

[PakLFC]

India is not forcing Bollywood on Pakistan or anyone else. As damaging as it may be to our culture and future generations had Pakistan had a thriving movie and entertainment industry we would not be feeling threatened by their movies or culture. Bollywood movies also contain many Urdu words as well yet I have never seen Indians complain of being Pakistanised! Why has no Pakistan government ever invested on promoting the soft culture of the country like Cinema? India spends a lot of money on their image worldwide where as Pak does nothing.